BROODING Roman
general Maximus in hit movie Gladiator has been voted the sexiest film character of all
time in a poll published yesterday.

Played by New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe,
he topped the survey for film magazine Empire.

One reader commented: 'Maximus is everything a
woman could want - strong, noble, intelligent, brave, loyal, devoted to his family and
just about sexy enough to light any woman's fire.'

Top female character was Princess Leia in Return
Of The Jedi, in which actress Carrie Fisher wears a skimpy gold bikini top. She
finished just ahead of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in Batman Returns, which sees her
cavorting in a rubber catsuit.

The Star Wars saga has another entry at number
seven for Qui-Gon Jinn, the bearded Liam Neeson.

Older films were represented in the top ten by
Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) from Breakfast At Tiffany's and Sugar Kane (Marilyn
Monroe) in Some Like It Hot.